Musical Instrument - 2 | Britannica.com Musical Instrument any device for producing a musical sound. Displaying 1 - 100 of 329 results accordion free-reed portable musical instrument, consisting of a treble casing with external piano-style keys or buttons and a bass casing (usually with buttons) attached to opposite sides of a hand-operated bellows. The advent of the accordion is the subject... Aeolian harp (from Aeolus, the Greek god of the winds), a type of box zither on which sounds are produced by the movement of wind over its strings. It is made of a wooden sound box about 1 metre by 13 cm by 8 cm (3 feet by 5 inches by 3 inches) that is loosely strung... aerophone any of a class of musical instruments in which a vibrating mass of air produces the initial sound. The basic types include woodwind, brass, and free-reed instruments, as well as instruments that fall into none of these groups, such as the bull-roarer... ajaeng large Korean bowed zither having seven strings.

Its body is about 160 cm (62 inches) long and 25 cm (10 inches) wide and is made of paulownia wood. The ajaeng ’s strings, made of twisted silk, are supported by separate movable bridges. The bow with which... alphorn long horn played by Alpine herdsmen and villagers, sounded for intercommunication and at daily ceremonies and seasonal festivals. It is carved or bored in wood and overwound with birch bark. Some instruments are straight, reaching 12 feet (4 metres)... Amati family a family of celebrated Italian violin makers in Cremona in the 16th and 17th centuries. Andrea (c. 1520– c. 1578), the founder of the Cremona school of violin making, was perhaps originally influenced by the work of slightly earlier makers from Brescia.... angular harp musical instrument in which the neck forms a clear angle with the resonator, or belly; it is one of the principal varieties of the harp. The earliest-known depictions of angular harps are from Mesopotamia about 2000 bc. In Egypt, especially, and in Mesopotamia,...

arched harp musical instrument in which the neck extends from and forms a bow-shaped curve with the body. One of the principal forms of harp, it is apparently also the most ancient: depictions of arched harps survive from Sumer and Egypt from about 3000 bc. Both... archlute large 16th-century bass lute provided with additional bass strings, or diapasons, and producing a deeper sound that could be used in orchestral basso continuo parts. The diapasons were tuned according to individual preference, usually in a descending... aulos in ancient Greek music, a single- or double-reed pipe played in pairs (auloi) during the Classical period. After the Classical period, it was played singly. Under a variety of names it was the principal wind instrument of most ancient Middle Eastern... autoharp stringed instrument of the zither family popular for accompaniment in folk music and country and western music. A musician may position the instrument on a table, on the lap while seated, or resting against the left shoulder. An autoharp player strums...

bagpipe wind instrument consisting of two or more single- or double-reed pipes, the reeds being set in motion by wind fed by arm pressure on an animal-skin (or rubberized-cloth) bag. The pipes are held in wooden sockets (stocks) tied into the bag, which is inflated... balalaika Russian stringed musical instrument of the lute family. It was developed in the 18th century from the dombra, or domra, a round-bodied, long-necked, three-stringed lute played in Russia and Central Asia. The balalaika is made in six sizes, from piccolo... bandura a stringed instrument of the psaltery family considered the national musical instrument of Ukraine. It is used chiefly to accompany folk music. The bandura has an oval wooden body; a short, fretless neck attached to the soundboard in an off-centre position;... bandurria stringed musical instrument of the lute family, with a design derived from the cittern and guitar. The modern bandurria has a small, pear-shaped wooden body, a short neck, and a flat back, with five to seven (but usually six) paired courses of strings...

bangu Chinese frame drum that, when struck by one or two small bamboo sticks, creates a sharp dry sound essential to the aesthetics of Chinese opera. It is also used in many Chinese chamber music ensembles. The drum, which is about 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter... banhu bowed Chinese fiddle, a type of huqin (Chinese: “foreign stringed instrument”). The instrument traditionally has two strings stretched over a small bamboo bridge that rests on a wooden soundboard. (The sound box of most other Chinese stringed instruments... banjo stringed musical instrument of African origin, popularized in the United States by slaves in the 19th century, then exported to Europe. Several African stringed instruments have similar names—e.g., bania, banju. The banjo has a tambourine -like body... baritone valved brass instrument pitched in B♭ or C; it is a popular band instrument dating from the 19th century and was derived from the cornet and flügelhorn (valved bugle). It resembles the euphonium but has a narrower bore and three, rather than four or...

barrel organ musical instrument in which a pinned barrel turned by a handle raises levers, admitting wind to one or more ranks of organ pipes; the handle simultaneously actuates the bellows. Ten or more tunes can be set on one barrel. Barrel organs are valuable because... barrel piano stringed musical instrument (chordophone) in which a simple pianoforte action is worked by a pinned barrel turned with a crank, rather than by a keyboard mechanism. It is associated primarily with street musicians and is believed to have been developed... Barretto, Ray American percussionist and bandleader who played conga drums on jazz albums and in Latin bands before he became one of the most popular bandleaders in salsa music. His strong sound and relaxed swing made him one of the first congueros (conga players)... baryton bowed, stringed musical instrument that enjoyed a certain vogue in the 18th century. It was related to the viol family, was about the size of a cello, and had six melody strings and a fretted fingerboard. Up to 40 sympathetically vibrating strings, some...

bass drum percussion instrument, the largest and deepest-sounding member of the drum family, usually played with a pair of large felt-headed sticks, or beaters. In modern popular-music bands the bass drum is often part of a drum set and is commonly struck by a... basset horn clarinet pitched a fourth lower than the ordinary B♭ clarinet, probably invented in about 1770 by A. and M. Mayrhofer of Passau, Bavaria. The name derives from its basset (“small bass”) pitch and its original curved-horn shape (later supplanted by an... bassoon the principal bass instrument of the orchestral woodwind family. The bassoon’s reed is made by bending double a shaped strip of cane. Its narrow conical bore leads from the curved metal crook, onto which the double reed is placed, downward through the... bell hollow vessel usually of metal, but sometimes of horn, wood, glass, or clay, struck near the rim by an interior clapper or exterior hammer or mallet to produce a ringing sound. Bells may be categorized as idiophones, instruments sounding by the vibration...

bell chime (from medieval Latin cymbala, meaning “bells”) set of stationary bells tuned in a musical series, traditionally in diatonic sequence (seven-note scale) plus a few accidentals (sharps and flats). The bells generally number from 2 to 20 and, in the voorslags... berimbau Brazilian musical bow, made of wood, that is used primarily to accompany the martial art known as capoeira. Most instruments are just under 5 feet (1.5 metres) long, and they are strung with a single metal wire, called an arame, that is typically drawn... biwa Japanese short-necked lute, distinguished by its graceful, pear-shaped body. The biwa has a shallow, rounded back and silk strings (usually four or five) attached to slender lateral pegs. The instrument is played with a large wedge-shaped plectrum called... Blackwell, Edward Joseph American jazz drummer who was known for his role in the development of free jazz beginning in the 1960s. Blackwell played with rhythm-and-blues groups in New Orleans, where he was influenced by the city’s musical tradition and by such drummers as Paul...

Blanchet family family of French instrument makers, settled in Paris. François-Étienne Blanchet (François the Elder; b. c. 1700, Paris, France—d. 1761, Paris) was one of the finest harpsichord builders of the Baroque era (c. 1600–1750). Nicolas Blanchet (b. c. 1660,... Boehm, Theobald German flutist, composer for the flute, and flute maker whose key mechanism and fingering system were widely adopted by later makers. The son of a goldsmith, Boehm studied flute and became a Munich court musician in 1818. In 1828 he opened a factory... bombarde double-reed wind instrument belonging to the oboe or shawm family. It has a wooden body ranging from 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm), usually with six finger holes and one or two keyed holes along its front, a cane reed, and a wide, flaring metal bell.... bongo drum pair of small single-headed Afro-Cuban drums.

The two heads, which are respectively about 5 inches (13 cm) and about 7 inches (18 cm) across, are nailed or rod-tensioned to wooden, open-ended “shells” of the same height. Played with the hands and fingers,... bouzouki long-necked plucked lute of Greece. Resembling a mandolin, the bouzouki has a round wooden body, with metal strings arranged in three or four double courses over a fretted fingerboard. The musician plucks the strings over the soundhole with a plectrum... bow in music, curved stick with tightly held fibres that produces sound by friction when drawn across the strings of a chordophone, such as a rebab, violin, or erhu. The most common material is rosined horsehair; some African bows used strips cut from rubber... brass instrument in music, any wind instrument—usually of brass or other metal but formerly of wood or horn—in which the vibration of the player’s lips against a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece causes the initial vibration of an air column. A more precise term is lip-vibrated...

Braxton, Anthony American composer and woodwind improviser, one of the most prolific artists in free jazz. Braxton, who named John Coltrane, Warne Marsh, and Paul Desmond among his inspirations, began playing alto saxophone in his teens and continued to play in a U.S.... bridge in stringed musical instruments, piece of elastic wood that transmits the vibrations of the string to the resonating body. Bridges are of two kinds. In the pressure bridge, the string is fastened at one end to a tuning peg or a wrest pin and at the other... Broadwood, John British maker of harpsichords and pianos and founder of the oldest existing firm of piano manufacturers. Broadwood, a cabinetmaker, was working for the prominent Swiss-born harpsichord maker Burkat Shudi (Burkhardt Tschudi) in London in 1761. He married... bugle wind instrument sounded by the vibration of the lips against a cup mouthpiece. As a modern military signaling instrument, it dates from about 1750, when Hanoverian Jäger (light infantry) battalions adopted the semicircular copper horn with widely expanding...

buisine long, straight trumpet of the Middle Ages, used for military and ceremonial purposes and, later, for music. It was a six-foot- (almost two-metre-) long counterpart of the shorter trompe, a straight military trumpet, and ultimately gave rise to the later... bull-roarer pseudomusical instrument or device that produces a howling or whirring sound when whirled through the air. The bull-roarer is commonly a flat piece of wood measuring from 4 to 14 inches (10 to 35 cm) in length and fastened at one end to a thong or string.... calliope in music, a steam-whistle organ with a loud, shrill sound audible miles away; it is used to attract attention for circuses and fairs. It was invented in the United States about 1850 by A.S. Denny and patented in 1855 by Joshua C. Stoddard. The calliope... carillon musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells in fixed suspension, tuned in chromatic order (i.e., in half steps) and capable of concordant harmony when sounded together.

Customarily located in a tower, it is played from a clavier, or... castanets percussion instrument of the clapper family, consisting of two hollowed-out pear-shaped pieces of hardwood, ivory, or other substance hinged together by a cord. Castanets are usually held in the hand and struck together. They are played in differently... celesta orchestral percussion instrument resembling a small upright piano, patented by a Parisian, Auguste Mustel, in 1886. It consists of a series of small metal bars (and hence is a metallophone) with a keyboard and a simplified piano action in which small... cello bass musical instrument of the violin group, with four strings, pitched C–G–D–A upward from two octaves below middle C. The cello, about 27.5 inches (70 cm) long (47 inches [119 cm] with the neck), has proportionally deeper ribs and a shorter neck than... chalumeau single-reed wind instrument, forerunner of the clarinet.

Chalumeau referred to various folk reed pipes and bagpipes, especially reed pipes of cylindrical bore sounded by a single reed, which was either tied on or cut in the pipe wall. Soon after this... change ringing traditional English art of ringing a set of tower bells in an intricate series of changes, or mathematical permutations (different orderings in the ringing sequence), by pulling ropes attached to bell wheels. On five, six, or seven bells, a peal is the... changgo hourglass-shaped (waisted) drum used in much of Korea’s traditional music. It is about 66 cm (26 inches) long and has two heads stretched over hoops; one of them is struck with a hand and the other with a stick. An early Japanese variant of the changgo... Chávez, Carlos Mexican conductor and composer whose music combines elements of traditional folk songs and modern compositional techniques. At age 16 Chávez completed Sinfonía, his first symphony. The ballet El fuego nuevo (1921; “The New Fire”) was his first significant... chime any of several sets of tuned percussion instruments.

Most frequently “chime” refers to the bell chime, but it also denotes tubular bells, or orchestral bells; the stone chimes, or lithophone; drum chimes, sets of tuned drums found in Myanmar (Burma)... chitarrone large bass lute, or archlute, developed in Rome about 1600. It was usually about 6 feet (less than 2 m) tall, with a normal lute body. The chitarrone had six to eight strings running over the fingerboard to a pegbox (the part of the instrument in which... chordophone any of a class of musical instruments in which a stretched, vibrating string produces the initial sound. The five basic types are bows, harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers. The name chordophone replaces the term stringed instrument when a precise, acoustically... cimbalom an elaborate stringed instrument of the dulcimer family used in small music ensembles by central European Roma (Gypsies). The instrument has a trapezoidal body that stands on four legs. It has a chromatic range of four octaves and, unlike other dulcimers,...

circular breathing in music, a technique used by performers on certain wind instruments to maintain a continuous sound. Inhaling only through the nose, the player fills the lungs, then reserves air in the mouth to use in blowing on the instrument. The cheeks often visibly... cittern plucked stringed musical instrument that was popular in the 16th–18th century. It had a shallow, pear-shaped body with an asymmetrical neck that was thicker under the treble strings. Derived from the citole, a similar 14th- and 15th-century instrument... clapper musical instrument consisting of pieces of wood, bone, metal, or other sonorous substance either held in both hands or, fastened together, held in one hand, sometimes with a handle, and struck against each other. Clappers have been played throughout... clarinet single-reed woodwind instrument used orchestrally and in military and brass bands and possessing a distinguished solo repertory. It is usually made of African blackwood and has a cylindrical bore of about 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) terminating in a flared bell....

claves percussion instrument, a pair of cylindrical hardwood sticks about 8 inches (20 centimetres) long and one inch (2 1 2 centimetres) in diameter, one of which is held in the player’s fingertips over the cupped hand (a resonator). When struck together they... clavichord stringed keyboard musical instrument, developed from the medieval monochord. It flourished from about 1400 to 1800 and was revived in the 20th century. It is usually rectangular in shape, and its case and lid were usually highly decorated, painted, and... clavicytherium a type of vertically strung harpsichord. clavier any stringed keyboard musical instrument in Germany from the late 17th century. The harpsichord, the clavichord, and, later, the piano bore the name. The Anglicized form of the name is often used in English discussions of such instruments in German music.... concertina free-reed musical instrument patented by Sir Charles Wheatstone in London in 1829.

Hexagonal hand bellows are fastened between two sets of boards that carry the reeds in fraised sockets, as well as the pallet valves and finger buttons, by which air is... cornet valved brass musical instrument that evolved in the 1820s from the continental post horn (cornet-de-poste, which is circular in shape like a small French horn). One of the first makers was the Parisian Jean Asté, known as Halary, in 1828. The tube is... cornett wind instrument sounded by lip vibration against a cup mouthpiece; it was one of the leading wind instruments of the period 1500–1670. It is a leather-covered conical wooden pipe about 24 inches (60 centimetres) long, octagonal in cross section, with... cornu (Latin: “horn”), large metal horn of ancient Rome, used as a military and ceremonial instrument. It was about 11 feet (slightly more than 3 m) in length and had the shape of the letter G, with a crossbar brace that supported the instrument’s weight on...

crook in brass musical instruments, detachable piece of metal tubing inserted between the mouthpiece and the main tubing or in the middle of the tubing to lengthen the air column produced. This manipulation allows the player to obtain notes not included in... crotal percussion instrument consisting of two small metal plates or clappers that are struck together. The krotalon (Latin crotalum) of ancient Greece and Rome was a pair of finger cymbals —i.e., wooden or metal shells held in one hand and manipulated like... crumhorn (from Middle English crump: “crooked”), double-reed wind instrument that flourished between the 15th century and about 1650. It consists of a small boxwood pipe of cylindrical bore, curved upward at the lower end and pierced with finger holes like those... crwth bowed Welsh lyre played from the European Middle Ages to about 1800. It was about the size of a violin. Though originally plucked, it was played with a bow from the 11th century, and a fingerboard was added behind the strings in the last part of the...

curtal Renaissance-era musical instrument and predecessor of the bassoon, with a double-back bore cut from a single piece of wood and built in sizes from treble to double bass (sometimes called the double curtal in England and the Choristfagott in Germany).... cymbal percussion instrument consisting of a circular flat or concave metal plate that is struck with a drumstick or is used in pairs struck glancingly together. They were used, often ritually, in Assyria, Israel (from c. 1100 bce), Egypt, and other ancient... darabukka goblet-shaped small drum that is widely played in Islamic classical and folk music throughout North Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. The darabukka is a single-headed drum usually made of clay or wood and is held upright, upside down, or under... di in music, transverse (or side-blown) bamboo flute of the Han Chinese. Traditional di have a membrane of bamboo or reed tissue covering the hole that is located between the mouth hole and the six finger holes. This membrane creates a distinctive sound...

diapason (from Greek dia pasōn chordōn: “through all the strings”), in medieval music, the interval, or distance between notes, encompassing all degrees of the scale— i.e., the octave. In French, diapason indicates the range of a voice and is also the word for... Díaz, Miguel Cuban conga player who was a classically trained percussionist and star in Cuban pop and jazz bands by the early 1990s, when he began to expand his repertoire and extend the possibilities of his instrument. He was featured in the Cuban supergroup Irakere... didjeridu wind instrument in the form of a straight wooden trumpet. The instrument is made from a hollow tree branch, traditionally eucalyptus wood or ironwood, and is about 1.5 metres (5 feet) long. Decorated ceremonial varieties, however, may be two or three... Dodds, Baby African-American musican, a leading early jazz percussionist and one of the first major jazz drummers on record. At an early age Dodds played drums in New Orleans parade and jazz bands, and in 1918–21 he played in Fate Marable’s riverboat bands.

In 1922... Dolmetsch, Arnold French-born British musician whose lifework, pursued in the face of prolonged indifference and misunderstanding, established the modern search for authenticity in the performance and instrumentation of early music. His craftsmanship in restoring and... double bass stringed musical instrument, the lowest-pitched member of the violin family, sounding an octave lower than the cello. It has two basic designs—one shaped like a viol (or viola da gamba) and the other like a violin—but there are other designs, such as... drum musical instrument, the sound of which is produced by the vibration of a stretched membrane (it is thus classified as a membranophone within the larger category of percussion instruments). Basically, a drum is either a tube or a bowl of wood, metal,... Duke, George American musician and record producer who crossed jazz and popular-music boundaries repeatedly during his more-than-40-year career of playing soulful music on keyboard instruments (particularly the synthesizer), composing and arranging, and producing... dulce melos (French: “sweet song”), a rectangular stringed keyboard musical instrument of the late European Middle Ages, known entirely from written records; no original examples are extant.

It is possible, however, that the instrument presented to the king of France... dulcimer stringed musical instrument, a version of the psaltery in which the strings are beaten with small hammers rather than plucked. European dulcimers—such as the Alpine hackbrett, the Hungarian cimbalom, the Romanian țambal, the Greek santouri, and the Turkish... dùndún pressure drum double-membrane, hourglass-shaped drum of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. It is capable of imitating the tones and glides of the spoken language and is employed by a skilled musician to render ritual praise poetry to a deity or king. It has... electronic carillon 20th-century musical instrument in which the acoustical tone source—metal tubes, rods, or bars struck by hammers—is picked up electromagnetically or electrostatically and converted into electrical vibrations that are highly amplified and fed into loudspeakers... electronic instrument any musical instrument that produces or modifies sounds by electric, and usually electronic, means. The electronic element in such music is determined by the composer, and the sounds themselves are made or changed electronically. Instruments such as...

electronic music any music involving electronic processing, such as recording and editing on tape, and whose reproduction involves the use of loudspeakers. Although any music produced or modified by electrical, electromechanical, or electronic means can be called electronic... electronic organ keyboard musical instrument in which tone is generated by electronic circuits and radiated by loudspeaker. This instrument, which emerged in the early 20th century, was designed as an economical and compact substitute for the much larger and more complex... electrophone any of a class of musical instruments in which the initial sound either is produced by electronic means or is conventionally produced (as by a vibrating string) and electronically amplified. Electronically amplified conventional instruments include guitars,... English horn orchestral woodwind instrument, a large oboe pitched a fifth below the ordinary oboe, with a bulbous bell and, at the top end, a bent metal crook on which the double reed is placed. It is pitched in F, being written a fifth higher than it sounds. Its...

Eno, Brian British producer, composer, keyboardist, and singer who helped define and reinvent the sound of some of the most popular bands of the 1980s and ’90s and who created the genre of ambient music. While an art student in the late 1960s, Eno began experimenting... erhu bowed, two-stringed Chinese vertical fiddle, the most popular of this class of instruments. The strings of the erhu, commonly tuned a fifth apart, are stretched over a wooden drumlike resonator covered by a snakeskin membrane. Like the banhu, the erhu... euphonium brass wind instrument with valves, pitched in C or B♭ an octave below the trumpet; it is the leading instrument in the tenor-bass range in military bands. It was invented in 1843 by Sommer of Weimar and derived from the valved bugle (flügelhorn) and... Fender, Leo American inventor and manufacturer of electronic musical instruments. Together with George Fullerton, Fender developed the first mass-produced solid-body electric guitar, in 1948.

Called the Fender Broadcaster (renamed the Telecaster in 1950), it was... fiddle medieval European bowed, stringed musical instrument. The medieval fiddle, a forerunner of the violin, emerged in 10th-century Europe, possibly deriving from the lira, a Byzantine version of the rabāb, an Arab bowed instrument. Medieval fiddles varied... fife small transverse (side-blown) flute with six finger holes and a narrow cylindrical bore that produces a high pitch and shrill tone. The modern fife, pitched to the A♭ above middle C, is about 15.5 inches (39 cm) long and often has an added E♭ hole covered... Early Musical Instruments Early Musical Instruments Bagpipe The bagpipes have existed for at least 3,000 years and although it is regarded as the national instrument of Scotland, the bagpipe has found its way into almost every part of the world nowadays: the English Northumbrian pipe, the Spaniard bellows-blown musette that was very fashionable until the 18th century. Balalaika A popular Russian folk family of guitars in various sizes.

Triangular body with a fretted fingerboard and usually with 3 strings. Can be played in large ensembles or to accompany singing and dancing. Bandoneon The chromatic German type of concertina which was invented by Heinrich Ban in the 1840s, and is still popular in traditional tango music. The Bandoneon has the same notes on the push and pull, but a different fingering system than the concertina. Instead of a keyboard it has 75 buttons producing single notes. Bombarde Chitarrone A 16-17th century popular theorbo-like instrument, mostly used to accompany solo singing. Metal or gut strings (six double courses over the fingerboard and eight single bass strings). A descendant of the lute . A Gipsy-Hungarian Dulcimer which sometimes is also seen in the concert-hall, as it has been used in works by Liszt , Kodály (in "Háry János") and Bartók . Clavichord Developed in 14th century from the monochord , the clavichord was a small rectangular keyboard instrument with a small dynamic range, therefore mostly used as a solo instrument.

Sound is produced by tangents striking the strings and remain in contact with the strings while they are vibrating. Used throughout Western Europe until the 18th century. Concertina Accordion-like with buttons for the fingers, instead of a keyboard. Consisting of two hexagonal ends connected by bellows which are opened and closed by the hands. An enormously popular instrument since the early 19th century, until it was superseded by the accordion with the piano-like keyboard. Nowadays, mostly played by folk musicians. Cornett A Renaissance woodwind instrument with finger-holes and a cup-shaped mouthpiece (similar to a trumpet's mouthpiece). The name means 'little horn' and spelt with double 't' to avoid confusion with the cornet . Made of ivory or wood and bound in leather. See also the German curved cornett which is called Zink . Crumhorn Double-reed family of wind instruments in a few sizes of different pitch. Probably developed in Italy in the late 15th century, the crumhorn became an important instrument in the European music of the 16th-17th centuries. The name means 'a curved horn'.

Curtal A Renaissance wind instrument, with double reeds and conical bore. It was developed in mid-16th century, and was the ancestor of the bassoon . In addition to the bass, there were also soprano, alto, tenor and the bass size curtal, which was known as double curtal. Dulcimer A string instrument of the box zither family to be struck with a pair of light wooden hammers, held in the player's hands. Probably derived from the psaltery in Europe during the late 15th century, it is still a popular folk instrument in Central Europe and many other cultures all over the world. Fanfare, fanfare trumpet Valveless instrument designed for ceremonial purpose. The Chotzotzerah which is the silver trumpet used in the temple service in biblical times ("...use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out." - Numbers 10:2). Glastonbury Pipe This reed instrument is based on a stone figure found in Glastonbury, England , an ancient Iron Age lake village. Glastonbury Abbey was also a place of worship of Druids and an object of pilgrimages in the Middle Ages .

Harmonium, Reed organ Mainly used to accompany hymns, as a substitute for the organ , this is a small portable instrument of the reed-organ family, in which pedals activate a bellows which drives air through the reeds. Hautbois The smaller member of the shawm family, which was taken in the 17th century into English as 'oboe' . Hurdy-Gurdy / Viella a Roue / wheel fiddle A stringed instrument with a keyboard and a wheel cranked by a handle instead of the bowing action of the violin . It was found throughout Europe since the 12th century. Mostly used for dance music. Kettledrums A cauldron-shaped drum; the most familiar are the orchestral Timpani . Often paired, they can be found in Arabic music as naqqara, in England as Nakers, in France as nacaires and in the Indian Tabla . Kettledrums have been known since the 2000's BC in Mesopotamia and were brought to Europe during the Crusades in the 13th century.

Lira da braccio A Renaissance bowed string instrument, with a violin's body, a wide fingerboard and seven strings. Mostly used to provide a chordal accompaniment. Superseded by the violin in the early 17th century. Lira da gamba bowed string instrument played on the leg ('da gamba'). Lute Plucked string instrument, usually played by plucking with the fingers. It is a descendant of the Arab Oud (the word 'lute' is derived from the Arabic 'al-ud') and was brought to Spain through the Moorish conquest and spread to all Europe, where it has been a central instrument from the late Middle Ages to the 18th century. Lyre Ancient string instrument with the known examples from the 3rd millennium BC in Mesopotamia and later in the Mediterranean. The lyre was traditionally regarded as the instrument of King David in the Bible. The lyre's descendant is the Welsh plucked or bowed lyre, known as the Crwth. Natural Horn Horn without valves, which can produce only the notes of the harmonic series , together with some obtained by placing the hand in the bell of the instrument. Current in the 18th century.

Oboe d'amore family. Commonly used in baroque music (as in J.S. Bach's St Matthew Passion ). Pitched a minor 3rd below the normal oboe (in A). Ocarina A wind instrument without keys and the shape of an egg or potato, with small holes for the fingers. It is made of earthenware clay or metal and can be found in all parts of the world. The ceramic Ocarina is probably more than 12000 years old and its origin is said to go back to a Mesopotamian primitive musical instrument cuckoo whisle. The name means 'Little goose egg' in Italian , referring to the shape that was developed there in the 19th century. In America , it became known as the "sweet potato" and it became so popular that during World War ll the U.S. government issued ocarinas to its soldiers as a morale booster. Pan pipe / Syrinx / Pan flute A medieval folk instrument of classical antiquity, made of a series of short vertical pipes fixed side by side and graduated in length in order to give a scale when blown. The name is for the ancient Greek god Pan.

Mozart used it in 'The Magic flute' ('Die Zauberflöte') as the instrument of Papageno. Portative organ which was carried by the player, with flue-pipes. Made from 1100-1650. Post horn A small brass instrument used in the past for signalling by postilions, coachmen and guards. Without valves or keys, it produces only the notes of one harmonic series . It is sometimes circular but often in a straight unbent tube. Predecessor of the cornet . Psaltery A popular medieval string instrument, played by plucking with a plectra or the fingers, although it can be also played with a bow. Its shape was influenced by its forerunner - the Middle Eastern qanun which entered Moorish Spain and from there to other parts of Europe, around the 12th century. The name might have derived from the Greek psallein meaning plucked with fingers Rebec A bowed stringed instrument used in European art music since the 8th century (from the Middle Eastern rebab or rabab) and during the Middle Ages and Renaissance .

In the Renaissance there were several sizes of the rebec: bass, tenor and soprano. The number of the rebec's strings varied from 1 to 5 and even more. Sackbut Early Trombone , used between 15th-18th centuries, with a narrower bore than the modern instrument. Derived from 'saqueboute' ('pull-push' in French ). Santoor A Persian string instrument introduced to Indian classical music during the 15th century. Made of a wooden box, it has approximately 100 strings. A relative of the European hammered dulcimer , the Chinese yang chin; and the Hungarian cembalom. Serpent Obsolete S-shaped wood horn with fingerholes, bass member of the cornett family. It is blown with a cup shaped mouthpiece which is very similar to that of brass instruments, such as the trombone or Euphonium . Historically made from wood, although other materials such as brass were also used. This very curved kind of cornett was invented in the 16th century to double male voices in plainsong , in Christian church music. A woodwind instrument, double-reeded forerunner of the oboe .

It was much used from the late 13th to the 17th centuries. It is a family of instruments in which the bombarde is the largest. A relative to the sahnai from India and the Middle Eastern zurna . Shofar The ram's horn of the Bible which is still in use on the most solemn rituals in the Jewish synagogue, in Israel and throughout the world. Produces only two notes. Side drums British name for two of the Snare drums: a small drum which is slung slightly to one side when marching. Played with wooden sticks. The earliest known side drum was the tabor . instrument. A small type of harpsichord whose strings run diagonally. Tabor A small rope-tensioned drum with snares, mostly used for rustic dance music, military music or as a background music for jugglers. The medieval tabor was the earliest known side drum . It was represented in early 13th and 14th century art. One performer can accompany himself with the tabor by beating the drum with one hand while the other hand plays a pipe.

Theorboe / theorbo Renaissance plucked instrument, first developed in Italy around the end of the 16th century. A descendant of the lute with the characteristic round back. Frequently used as an accompanying instrument and was much used as a continuo instrument in large ensembles. Apart from its extra (S-shaped) neck and shorter neck it is almost identical with the Chitarrone . A name for the ordinary side-blown flute (held crosswise) from the end-blown recorder (which held downwards). Guitar-like plucked instrument, strung like the lute . Superseded by the guitar in the 17th century. The word also seemed to apply to many kinds of string instruments in the Renaissance but usually referred to the vihuela de mano which was played with the hand, instead of a bow or a plectrum. Viola da Gamba / viol Bowed stringed instrument of various sizes, superseded by the violins . Sometimes specifically applied to the bass viol . All family members are called viola 'da gamba' (for the leg) as they are rested between or on the legs. The viols' frets and shape is the most important difference from the violin family.

Viola da braccio bowed string instrument, played on the arm. Virginal A small type of harpsichord whose strings run parallel to the keyboard. It has the shape of a clavichord but its metal strings produce the sound of a harpsichord. Also known is the double virginal, in which two keyboards are superimposed and played separately or coupled. Zink Unique Baby Names: Musical Baby Names Musical Baby Names Music has become an important part in our daily life. Music will inspires and touches daily lives in any culture. Eventually, many parents will turn to music in finding the perfect unique baby names. Musical baby names are more common on female baby names . The more common examples are Aria, Carol, Grace, Harmony, Jazz, Melody, Lyric, Rhapsody, Serenade, Sonata, Song, and Viola. Aria is a solo opera performance. The single performer sings solo that is accompanied by an elaborate melody. The shorter version of Aria is Arietta which is also a pretty good musical baby name. Carol is English and French baby name which is derive from Latin word Choraula or Greek word Choraules.

In Latin, it means choral song, or accompanist. In Greek, it means chorus. Thus, the Choral and Chorale was derived. The common variants of Carol are Carola, Carolan, Carolina, Carolann, Carolanne, Caroline, Carole, Carolyn, Carolyne, and Carolynn. Grace is a one of the virtuous baby names which made it thru the baby names. Grace is also derived from a Latin word Gratia. It means effortless beauty. We often attach Grace after an excellent performance from singers, bands, orchestras, choirs, or groups. The common variants of Grace are Gracelyn, Graciela, Gracious, Grata, Gracielle, Gracina, and Gracie. Harmony means the notes, instruments, and lyrics that work in perfect coordination and timing. Originally, Harmony came from Latin. The common variants of Harmony are Harmonia, Harmonica, Harmonee, Harmonie, Harmoney, Harmoni, and Harmonita. In Greek Mythology, Harmonia is also a Greek goddess of order and daughter of Aphrodite. The song consists of lyric, and melody. Eventually, Lyric and Melody has become a baby name.

Lyrics are the actual words spoken on a song, while Melody is the sweet succession of sounds from a song. The musical instruments play a big role on baby names. Like Viola, the baby name may have come from violin. Chime is another baby name meaning the edge of a drum. And, Rebec is a three string instrument that the body is pear-shaped and neck is slender. The different rhythmic music pattern and sound also became baby names like Cadence (rhythmic flow of sounds in language), Carillon (sound of tuned bells), Euphony (sweet acoustic sound of words), Jazz (ragtime and blues music), Rhapsody (musical recitation of poems), Sonata (three to four movements in contrasting forms), Tala (traditional South Asian rhythmic pattern), and Madrigal (complex polyphonic sound of a voice in secular text). The terms and notes on music inspire for cool and unique baby names . For example, Fermata is a musical baby name which means prolonged musical note. Add to Bookmark or Favorites posted by Dennis Estrada at 10:59 AM

Question: Which musical instrument has a name which derives from the Greek for good sound or sweet voice?
Answer: Euphonium